Auto lift



April 3, 1934. I

J. D. cocHxN 1,953,670

AUTO LIFT Filed Sept. 30. 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l Mvm @WY ,x5/w YM l A TTORNEYS.

J. D. CIOCZHIN April 3, 1934.

AUTO LIFT Filed Sept. 50. 1930 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 TToRNEYs.

IN V EN TDR.

n I l A J. D. COCHIN April 3, 1934.

AUTO LIFT Filed Sept. 50. 1930 3`Sheets-Sheet 3 Q Hw... ..w............ www@ 1 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1934 g v y UNITED STATES PATENTol-FICE AUTO LIFT John D. Cochin, San Francisco, Calif. Application September 30, 1930, Serlal No.:485,413

6 Claims. (Cl. 1854-124) This invention pertains to` auto liftsand more dicated by broken lines at 13 in Fig. 1. The base particularly to improvements in devices for elemember 10, preferably formed of cast steel or vating motor vehicles and the like to such a posiother heavy material, is provided with a pair of tion as will render them convenient to grease, side extensions 14 to lend it lateral support.

i service or repair. A pair of upwardly extending bearing arms 15 60 The type of auto lift now most generally used carried by the base member support a bearing pin consists of a vehicle engaging frame supported by 16 upon which is journaled one end of the angular and adapted to be raised and lowered by a pneushaped lifting lever 11. The lifting lever extends matically or hydrically controlled ram. `The didownwardly from this end and then outwardly lo rection of movement of the ram is vertical and in to a position centrally of the vehicle supporting 65 order that the vehicle may be picked up from the frame 12 to which it is connected at its other end. floor level and raised to the desired height, it is The manner in which the lifting lever is opernecessary that the greatest portion of the ram be ated is best shown in Fig. 3. lin this gure, a mounted beneath the floor level. On ground oors connecting rod 17 is shown as pivotally connected this necessitates the excavation of a pit into which to the lifting lever at 18. It is obvious that move- Iii the ram is placed, and where a lift is employed ment of the connecting rod 17 in the direction of upon elevated floors the building of a very subthe arrow -awill force the lower end of the stantial foundation is required for the support of lifting lever in the same direction and cause it to the downwardly extending ram. Such a lift, aside pivot upon the bearing pin 16, whereby its op- 20 from the expense of installation, becomes a perposite end will raise to the position shown in i5 manent fixture and often in the remodelling, or broken lines in this gure. The means for actueven the rearrangement of a garage, becomes the ating the connecting rod 17 is shown in Fig. 1 as cause of great inconvenience. being a hydraulic cylinder 18, containing a reciplt is with a View to overcoming the above and rocable plunger, not shown, controlled by a Valve g5 other disadvantages accompanying auto lifts of 19 of any suitable construction and operating a 8d ordinary construction that 1 have evolved the piston rod 20 which is connected to acrosshead present invention. 21 carrying the connecting rod 17 and adapted to it is, therefore, the object of my invention to reciprocate between crosshead. guides 22. provide an auto lift of simple and durable con- When it is desired to operate the lifting lever struction that maybe installed in any desired in an upward direction, the valve 19 is operated 85 location with a minimum of labor and expense, to direct a flow of uid under pressure through and that may be conveniently transported from a pipe 23 into one end of the cylinder 1S, forcplace to place at will. ing the plunger to the opposite end and thereby Further objects and advantages of my invencausing movement through the piston rod, the

tion will be madey clear through an understandcrosshead and the connecting rod to the lifting 90 ing of the accompanying drawings and following lever. Lowering movement of the lifting lever specification having reference thereto. is accomplished through manipulation of the In the drawingsvalve 19 to direct a now of .fluid through a Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away pipe 24 into the opposite end of the cylinder 18. of an auto lift embodying my invention, While 1 have shown hydraulic means for op- 95 Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, erating the lifting lever, it should be understood Fig, 3 is an enlarged View of a part of the mechthat I do not intend to limit myself to the same, anism shown in Fig. l, as it is foreseen that pneumatic or electrical Fig. 4l is an enlarged view of a swivel connection means may be used to good advantage. between the lifting arm and the vehicle support- The vehicle supporting frame 12 consists of 100 ing frame of the lift, a central plate 25 which supports a pair of side Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modied form of arms 26, as shown.. The side arms 26 are so myinvention, and spaced as to enable them to engage the axles Fig. 6 is a plan View of the device shown in 27 of the car 13 when it straddles the vehicle Fig 5 supporting frame. The connection between the 105 Referring more particularly to the drawings plate 25 and the lifting lever 11 is best seen in and especially to Figs. 1 and 2, I show an auto Figs. 3 and i in which the plate 25 is shown lift comprising a base member 10, a lifting lever as adapted to rotate upon a bearing member l1, and a vehicle supporting frame l2. The posi- 28 by means of a trunnion 29 and a ball race 30.

tion occupied by the vehicle to be lifted is in The lifting lever 11 is pivotally connected as llo at 31 to the bearing member 28 and the bearing member is held in a level position during movement of the lifting lever 11 by means of a pair of guide links 32. These guide links 32 are bent at an angle which is substantially the same as that of the lifting lever 11 and are pivotally connectedas at 33 to the bearing arms 15 at one end and pivotally connected as at 34 at their other end to the bearing member 28.

The distance between the axes of the pivotal connections 33 and 16 is the same as the distance between the axes of the pivotal connections 34 and 31. Hence, a parallel motion is effected, and assuming that the vehicle supporting frame is in a level position when it lies upon the ground, it will remain level throughout the upward or lifting motion of the lifting lever 11.

The operation of the device as described thus far is as follows:

A vehicle is driven over the vehicle supporting frame 15 to the position shown in Fig. 1. Fluid is then introduced into the cylinder 18 in the manner described, causing the connecting rod 17 to force the lifting lever upwardly. The vehicle supporting frame carried by the lifting lever in its upward motion then engages the axles 27 of the vehicle and elevates it. When the vehicle is Yelevated to the position shown by broken lines in Fig. 3 the vehicle supporting frame may be revolved upon the trunnion 29 and ball race 30 to suit the convenience of the operator.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a modification of my device in which the hydraulic cylinder may be vertically disposed and in which the principles of leverage are slightly different. In these figures, the lifting lever consists of a pair of bars 35 pivoted at 36. The guide links are shown at 37 and a hydraulic cylinder 38 is disposed intermediate the ends of the lifting lever in a vertical position.

In these views cross head guides 39 are disposed above the cylinder and carry a cross head 40 to which is connected a pair of connecting rods 41 engaging and adapted to lift the lifting lever 35. The further construction and operation of the device shown in these figures is substantially the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the construction and arrangement of its several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vehicle lift. comprising a base member, a lever including a substantially horizontal arm and a substantially vertical arm extending upwardly therefrom. vehicle engaging means carried by the horizontal arm, a pivotal connection between the upper end of the vertical arm and. said base member, and means to swing the lever about said pivotal connection to raise said vehicle engaging means.

2. A vehicle lift, comprising a base member, a lever including a substantially horizontal arm and a substantially vertical arm extending upwardly therefrom, vehicle engaging means carried by the horizontal arm, a pivotal connection between the upper end of the vertical arm and said base member, and means to exert pressure adjacent the lower end of the vertical arm, whereby the lever will swing about said pivotal connection and raise said vehicle engaging means.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a lever including a pair of connected arms disposed at an angle to each other, vehicle engaging means carried by one of said arms, a pivotal support for the other arm, and power means engageable with the lever adjacent the connected end of saidl arms to pivot the lever on said support and raise the vehicle engaging means.

4. A vehicle lift, comprising a base member, a lever pivotally connected to the base member, said lever extending downwardly from its pivotal connection and having a substantially hori zontal arm adjacent its lower end, vehicle engaging means pivotally secured to the outer end of said arm, and power means engageable with the lower end of the lever to swing it about its pivotal support and raise said arm and vehicle engaging means.

5. A vehicle lift, comprising a base member, a lever pivotally connected to the base member, said lever extending downwardly from its pivotal connection and having a substantially horizontal arm adjacent its lower end, vehicle engaging means pivotally secured to the outer end of said arm, power means engageable with the lower end of the lever to swing it about its pivotal support and raise said arm and vehicle engaging means, and a link pivotally connected to the base member and vehicle engaging means to maintain the latter in a horizontal position while it is raised.

6. A vehicle lift comprising a base member, a lifting lever pivoted at one end relative to the base member, and power means intermediate the ends of the lever for swinging it upwardly about its pivoted end, the portion of said lever between said power means and its opposite end normally lying adjacent the base member and having its top surface substantially in the same plane as the top surface of the base member.

JOI-IN D. COCHIN. 

